~ Settled back in Jersey, heart still in Ireland….

Counting Down to Retirement

It was in the summer of ’71 that I rocked up at the staff entrance of Eagle Star Insurance in Birmingham to start my first job. I lasted six weeks.

Whatever happened to them?

Still, it was long enough for me to earn enough to buy my first single (Suspicious Minds – Elvis) and first album (Sounds of Silence – Simon & Garfunkel). My one abiding memory of Eagle Star was of the woman who signed in the staff, drawing a red line at 9.03am to heap shame on those arriving a few minutes late. I was often to be found below that line.

Whatever happened to him?

Strangely, those six weeks have long since been airbrushed from my c.v. Did they even happen?

So I’ll have been gainfully employed for 48 years, which I guess is par for the course. I can’t particularly afford to retire, but in that respect I’ll be in no better position next year or the year after. So I’m getting out at the right time, and for the right reasons. As a professional accountant I’ve long since lost interest in keeping up to date technically. The young kids coming through are light years ahead in that regard. And neither am I as sharp and accurate as I was. I could battle on for a while yet, but I no longer enjoy flogging into work every day.

Plans ahead? Yes, some vague ideas, but I aim to kick back for a little while at least and enjoy the sensation of not being under work pressure. Certainly I’ll find plenty to do – my neglected writing for one, various bits of voluntary activity on the other. (Jersey has a huge population of volunteers, particularly amongst the retired classes.) At the moment, for example, I’m enjoying doing a bit of tour guiding for Jersey Heritage, showing visitors around the fabulous Mont Orgueil. It seems I might have been repressing an inclination to take to the stage.

Mont Orgueil, 800 years and counting.

As my 27 days tick away I may reflect in this somewhat stuttering blog on my work career.

Best of luck in retirement. Hope you enjoy it. It does provide more time for writing. Volunteering is also a good way to stay involved, get out of the house, and maybe provide some inspirations for the writing. (I’m there and doing all of these things.)

Now that’s what I call exciting news, Roy! Good call. You have plenty on your to-do list that will provide a creative, healthy, and fulfilling life. You will be a model retired person! Enjoy your countdown; this time of life is a gift to be savoured. 😊

Roy, enjoy the countdown to retirement and hope you’re having a party on the actual day! 😀 I’ve heard so many say that they’re so busy once retired, they never knew how they had time to work! Writing can definitely take a priority and the volunteering sounds like a terrific idea. Actually I’ve just been reading up about Mount Orgueil and might see you there as my husband and I are flying to Jersey at the end of the month to celebrate our wedding anniversary!

Oh, how I envy you, Roy! I have 5 more years and am already counting down. Like you, the technology is the piece that makes me want to quit working. It all seems like change for changes’ sake; none of the “new” applications does anything different than what we had before. It’s tiresome, and I would much rather be enjoying my golden years away from a computer.

Thank you Juliann. The world has changed rapidly since I started off in accountancy. No more pencils, analysis paper, hours of reconciliations, looking through dusty files etc. Now it’s all systems-based and not much fun at all 😦 I don’t wish to stare at a screen any longer.

Exciting news! And the even better news is that you’re excited about it. My guy could be retiring but he’s having a difficult time with the fact that he’s ‘at that age.’ We’ll never have “enough” to retire on, but seriously, why wait? Let’s enjoy the freedom. Ahem. But, of course, I’m not planning on ‘retiring’ for several years. But my job is teaching creative writing. Yes, it takes me hours to prepare for my classes, but what a charge, to see my students get excited about themselves through their writing. Anyway, I look forward to reading more about your work life, and your ‘retired’ life. And if we ever get to Jersey (which I’m hoping to, at some point) I’ll see if you can be our tour guide!

I teach adult students from the ages of 18 to 88 (seriously, one of my students will turn 89 soon…). They all sign up to learn more about themselves and to see if they can really be creative. They can! And we have lots of fun.
Now, if I can only find a creative way to fly your way and enjoy some “Jersey” time. 🙂

Enjoy your retirement and it looks like you have a clear direction as to how it will be spent. As one of my clients who recently went into retirement reminded me; “every day from now on is a Saturday”. Enjoy the “Saturday’s”, well deserved!!!